


Told You

by LibraLibrary



Category: Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!
Genre: Gen, pre/early-relationship fluff, self indulgent oc/canon, vague mention of body horror
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-04
Updated: 2015-05-04
Packaged: 2018-03-28 23:31:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3874012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LibraLibrary/pseuds/LibraLibrary
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The spider monkey grinned over the rim of her cup. "You've been expecting an 'I told you so'?" </p><p>"Or a lecture on how pointless and harmful self sacrifice is. Especially considering the worm is still out there." </p><p> </p><p>Post Savage Lands, AU. Both of them sacrificed something; R'lya suffered each time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Told You

**Author's Note:**

> My buddy Jay recently got into the series and just finished the I Chiro/Savage Lands arc so let's celebrate with some early OTP angst. Eventually R'lya will be more forward about what he means to her and what he's done, BUT TODAY IS NOT THAT DAY. _Merge_ should be read first, _The Fish in the Galaxy_ is reccommended.
> 
> loltechnicallythey'vebothfallentotheirdeathsbefore

They had fixed the climate regulation of the robot before they had left the planet; warm air coursed through the living areas as it had on space journeys before. Still, the vacuum just outside the chrome plating was no doubt frigid, and despite the happy resolution of the latest fight, everyone was shaken. Any excuse for hot cocoa was accepted. 

Of course the sweet warmth was a comfort, but the fact that there was one less mug out than usual struck an odd nerve with R'lya. She tried to ignore it and play it cool, leaning against the console like a windowsill, half-heartedly watching galaxies drift past on the screen. There was no sign of that damned worm yet; maybe they'd have a brief moment of peace. She intended to make the most of it, and deal with the elephant in the room later. 

Or not, she realized, hearing the telltale whirr-tap approaching, paired with a gleam of silver. 

If Antauri's approach was anything but mission-related, the furrow in his brow did a great job of hiding it (she had to appreciate how well the metal contorted in expression; there had to be some high quality framework inside his new face). His blue eyes darted from nebula to star system carefully, and she could guess that he was trying to identify as many as possible. "It's not every day we come out this far past Ranger 7, huh?" 

"No. Last time we were out here-" 

"You found us." 

A small smile tugged at the corner of his reluctant mouth. "Yes. Hopefully we won't have to face a repeat of that misadventure." 

"What, are we not a joy to be around?" she teased. 

Now he was full-on grinning. "Oh, of course you are. I just don't believe Gibson is looking forward to being kicked out of a window again anytime soon." 

Behind them, the aforementioned scientist yelped as Ellison landed a particularly aerodynamic marshmallow in his cup from across the room, and R'lya chuckled. "I don't see any hard feelings between them, do you?" 

The two fell into a comfortable silence, and R'lya headed for the kitchen to refill her mug, waving for the silver monkey to follow. Of course, he had no need for that particular room anymore; she just assumed there was still more to say. He trailed behind with no hesitation, she took that as a yes. 

"You know," she murmured, pouring another cup, "I get the feeling you're waiting on something." 

The monkey next to her stared, unflinching. "Perhaps. You have been strangely quiet since our return from the Savage Lands." 

The spider monkey grinned over the rim of her cup. "You've been expecting an 'I told you so'?" 

"Or a lecture on how pointless or harmful self sacrifice is. Especially considering the worm is still out there." 

R'lya leaned against the counter, carefully stirring her drink to cool it. "True. But we've had bigger things to deal with, the worm included. Give me some time to write the speech, why don't you," she joked with a weary smile, taking a sip as she headed back for the main room. 

Antauri's head turned to follow her as she went, raising one brow. "I assume this matter isn't settled?" 

"Of course not," she responded, nearly having to talk over the tail-end of what was likely a very interesting discussion of fish and galaxies, "no doubt we'll end up in another life or death fight, and I'll end up losing my cool and making a scene about you and your mindless heroics." 

There was a great deal of sincerity in her tone; Antauri didn't know how to feel about that. 

~*~ 

R'lya awoke from her nightmare with a deep inhalation, panting slowly as waves of adrenaline passed over and filtered off. The ooze in her chest cavity roiled like a frothing pot, and she had to actively will it to recede from the arteries in her shoulders. Her vintage teddy bear wasn't much of a threat; it would be a shame to damage it over a restless night. 

_Whirr-tap-tap._ The footfalls were heaver than normal, which surprisingly made him more recognizable. She called out before he even got the chance to knock. "Go on." 

The door slid open quietly, and the bright blue of his eyes stood out against his backlit silhouette, catching the dim light from the old lantern she had hastily affixed to the wall as they had rushed to set the new room up. Her eyes were still adjusting, but he looked vaguely worried. Wonderful. "Was I making noise, or disrupting the power primate?" 

"A little of both. My hearing is more sensitive in this form." 

She sighed. "Sorry to wake you-" she started in, before stopping short and wincing. "Right. I mean-" 

"No, that's alright," he interrupted, crossing the room to sit by the mat she slept on. "I actually was asleep. It's one of the few things I can still do." 

There was half a note of bitterness in his voice, she noted, and she shot him a sympathetic gaze, which he met with his own. Her nerves were started to fade, though the ooze was being quite stubborn in its retreat, one small needle-shaped protrusion poking through the skin above her collar bone before sinking back down. She hissed, wiping away the resultant bead of blood, and Antauri's face set into a deep frown. "How bad was it?" 

The pool in her wound shifted, then settled, and she shuddered. "Very. About everything. All of this." 

Antauri nodded. "I doubt any of us will sleep well for a very long time." 

The girl hugged her knees to her still chest, trying to regulate her breathing. The two of them remained that way, her curled inwards, him patiently sitting besides her, for a time neither of them could really measure. Elsewhere in the Robot, the rest of the team idly passed the time, or fiddled with the instruments searching the area for any traces of the Dark One, or tried to grab a few restless hours of sleep themselves. Inside, a thousand components sparked and hummed. Outside, the universe stretched on, silently drowning out the screams of planets facing calamity. 

"Antauri?" 

"Hm?" 

R'lya leaned against his shoulder, lightly shaking. "I dreamt about us falling." 

After a miniscule pause, he wrapped one arm around her side. His metal skin was cold, of course, but nowhere near as cold as she had been expecting. She was grateful for that, at least.


End file.
